[tkishkape]

The skipjack are biting in Oklahoma... My favorite method is to use an ultralite rod and 4 pound line with a pair of 1/64th oz white jigs with blue accents and a pink head. Rig them one behind the other with the second one from the end tied onto a dropper loop about 18" above the end jig.

Cast the jigs out into the fast water near foam and eddy currents where the generators produce boils. Reel the jigs back at a good clip to excite the skipjack into striking. You'll often have two at a time. The average size here seems to be about 6" with another year class averaging 11 to 14". The bigger ones fight as hard as a nice catfish.

The skipjack to four inches make two cut baits each, while larger ones make several with the head being the choice bait and the gut section second best. Many catmen fish the skipjack whole while others cut the smaller ones into 1/2" thick steaks and thread several on the hook at the same time. Some simply use the head and filet the herring for baits.

Any way you cut them, the skipjack are a great bait.

 

[jtrew]

IMO, the type of rod and line weight you use for skippies kind of depends on what size you are catching. The first time I fished for skipjack below Pickwick Dam, they were running very large. I made one cast with my ultralight, and it was like casting out onto the freeway. Before the 4# test line could even begin to turn the reel spool, it had parted. I laid down the ultralight and picked up a 'regular' weight spinning rod spooled with 10# test line, with two crappie jigs for a terminal rig. Even with 10# test mono, I would sometimes get a break-off if I hung two big skippies. After having had several break-offs during the first couple of hours of using the 10# mono, I switched to my Rhino catfish rod, which was loaded with 20# mono. I quit losing fish because of broken lines.
Because of that, I've loaded up one 'regular' weight spinning rod with 6# diameter braided superline, and plan to spool up an ultralight with 4#. Those lines give the casting advantage of small diameter lines, but have the breaking strength I feel necessary for skippie fishing. Of course, if you mostly catch 8" skippies in your area, you can get by nicely with 4# mono on an ultralight.

 

[Whistler]

I use 8lb test for skipjacks normally. And they break that pretty often. I just spooled my Mitchell 300 with 20 lb power pro. We sometimes catch two or even three at a time and sometimes they'll weigh 3 lbs a piece. We've even weighed a few to see how much they weighed. 3.5 is the biggest so far. I also use two and once in a while three 1/8 oz jig heads with 3 inch curly tails on them of usually white, but sometimes I'll use yellow too. Works pretty good here.

 

[stephens]

went to cheatum dam yesterday for skip jack and caught them on kastmasters and saw a copperhead with a big skip jack he had caught in the rocks there. john

 

[GS-Rock]

how do i know if i caught a mix breed speces of skip jack?

 

[gofish]

Are you sure there is a mixed breed of skipjack?

 

[TOPS]

I have never heard of a mixed breed skips. I guess it could happen!!